Monday, January 19, 2015

It's Like Living in Pottery Barn...

Like many people (I say people to be inclusive but I think we all know I mean women) I enjoy looking through furniture and home goods catalogues like Restoration Hardware, Crate and Barrel and especially Pottery Barn. And for a mom who fantasizes about a tasteful and functional house, nothing can beat the Pottery Barn Kids catalogue. I am constantly re-submitting my name to stay on their mailing list because I never order anything. I ordered a crib sheet for Tessa's crib last year so I though maybe that would keep me on their radar but it takes more than a $19.99 clearance purchase I guess.

These pages make a stylish and organized life with little kids look so easy and attainable.

But regardless of my combined obsession and distain for this sort of organizing system we decided to build some sort of storage system in Ben's closet. I guess I should say that Justin decided to do this and then did all of the work. The toy situation in this house has been getting just unlivable. I know having too much is a first world problem but it really has been a problem. Toys are everywhere, in every room of the house. They are under the kitchen table, in our bedroom, thrown on the landing of the stairs, on the kitchen counters, you name it. The living room is where we spend most of our time and you generally can't walk in there. Very bad feng shui. It is the opposite of feng shui. I read an article about feng shui recently that said the entry of the house should reflect you as a person which really disturbed me because if that is the case I am apparently a dirt and gravel filled, stained floor mat of a person with piles of shoes in my soul and scuffed and finger printed walls in my heart. Gulp.

So here is Justin's finished project. There are shelves on the opposite end as well.

It looks really good. That evening I got to work sorting toys by categories such as tractors, Cars and Thomas and other character toys, trains and tracks, books, balls, construction toys, etc. Ben immediately went in and dumped all of it out on the floor. That wasn't really what we had in mind BEN! And to make it worse, Ben's favorite toys of the moment are Duplos and the train track set so those are what he always dumps front and center on the living room rug. And yes, I could insist that he play in his room but he wants to be around me and I don't want to sit in his room all day so...living room it is.

Here is Tessa enjoying a rare expanse of clear floor. Her closet is next on the to do list!

Here are a few other pictures from the recent weeks. I have had trouble fitting in computer time due to Tessa's recent acquisition of the skills to climb on the furniture by herself so now I can't go anywhere to get away from her when she is awake. She is into everything and I can't to ANYTHING. I forgot about this challenging stage in Ben's life. If I clean or do laundry she is there undoing what I've done. If I sweep or vacuum she is under foot spreading the dirt piles around. If I try to sit and read a magazine or book she climbs up and rips it out of my hand to look at it and of course any technology is out of the question. If I watch something on TV she is loud and gets quiet when I hit pause and then as soon as hit play she gets loud again. That is why I am constantly looking at the internet on my phone. It is not productive but at the moment it is the ONLY thing I can manage to do when she is awake because it can be done discreetly.

Here is a picture of our view over the city on a recent frosty morning. I thought it was pretty. ﻿

Here is a series of the kids hanging out on the couch. Ben wanted Tessa to sit with him under the blanky (which is a towel that I put over the couch because Ben is being potty trained and is doing quite well with by the way and thankfully since he will be 3 in two months!)

She was happy, and then she got mad!

I should mention that over the weekend we did a major cleaning and put toys away and once they were out of sight it has been easier to keep them out of mind.

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Welcome!

Hola...I started this blog after my husband and I purchased our first house in August 2009. We were encouraged, as were many of our friends and relatives, to purchase a house by the first time homebuyer tax credit. The purpose of the blog was originally to keep people informed about our various projects and adventures including the fun (decorating!) and the challenging (snow removal, garden disasters). I often stray from the topic of houses and homeownership and write about our weekend activities, our cat, our families, TV shows, sports, clothes, sewing, and whatever I feel like! Occasionally I write about other first time homebuyers and their projects. Enjoy!